POSSESSION: KERASUKAN (2024) **

It seems like everyone has been having Possession on the brain lately.  Early in 2024, we had a nice little homage to it in The First Omen.  Hollywood has also announced an American remake announced directed by Smile’s Parker Finn starring Robert Pattinson.  Somehow, this Indonesian remake of Andrzej Zulawski’s classic of paranoia managed to beat that project to the punch when it was unceremonious dropped on Netflix. 

A navy sailor returns home to find his wife wants a divorce.  He suspects her of cheating and goes to find out what she’s been up to.  He soon learns she’s been cursed by a sex demon. 

The 1981 original was a slower-than-slow burn.  I’m glad to say this version picked up the pace quite a bit.  (It’s a good half an hour shorter than the original, too.)  The most interesting thing about Possession:  Kerasukan though is how it adapts the material for Indonesian culture.  I liked how the filmmakers took the original premise and infused it with aspects of their religion and folklore.  Another big difference is the color palette.  Whereas the original had a lot of cold blues, this one is filled with warm red tones. 

That said, you still have to say Zulawski did it better, at least where the shocks are concerned.  Yes, it’s neat that the filmmakers substituted a monster that’s more in line with Indonesian folklore, but that that doesn’t mean it’s very effective, especially when the demon just looks like a mummy hiding inside a throw pillow.  Some of the CGI touches are less than convincing too.  It’s also odd that the filmmakers opt for an Exorcist-style finale.  I guess something may have gotten lost in translation there as they seemingly took the title too literally. 

Let’s face it. It would’ve been hard to top the shocking shit from Zulawski’s film.  I guess armed with that knowledge, the filmmakers instead were content to take the movie’s themes and adapt them and update them for a modern Indonesian audience.  And for a while, it sort of works.  It’s just a shame that it goes completely off the rails in the third act once it stops stealing from Zulawski and starts ripping off William Friedkin.  Still, I have to say it’s far from the worst horror remake I’ve sat through this year.